19 Facts About Vincent van Gogh That are Obviously Pure Gold

Vincent van Gogh was a very talented artist who was known for his impressionist style of work.

ArtHearty Staff

Last Updated: Mar 19, 2018

Vincent van Gogh was one of the finest and greatest artist, known for his exemplary work in the field of art. He can definitely be touted as one of the most original artists ever. Born in Groot-Zundert in the southern area of Netherlands, on 30th March 1853, Vincent van Gogh's life can be described to be a struggle against various issues in life. He had to face extreme poverty, hunger, insanity, and even battle his alcohol addiction.

Despite the greatness of the very talented person that van Gogh was, his life was marked completely with struggle, pain, and suffering. There are many masterpieces painted by this artist that can only be termed as priceless. However, his journey in life wasn't easy, and ultimately ended in suicide.

Here, we shall trace some important facts about Vincent van Gogh, connected to his life and paintings.

Four Cut Sunflowers (painting) by Vincent van Gogh

❥ Vincent van Gogh had a shaky beginning in the field of art. He spent a major portion of his adult life working for a firm of art dealers.

❥ He had an elder brother of the same name, who, unfortunately, died at birth.

❥ He suffered throughout his life due to various medical issues. Reports mentioned he suffered from schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy, and other mental and physical conditions.

❥ Initially, he wanted to be a pastor, just like his father.

❥ He painted his first painting at the age of 27.

❥ As an artist, he always demanded to be supplied with the color yellow. This is particularly witnessed in the very famous painting, 'Sunflowers', which had a prominent use of this shade.

❥ Vincent van Gogh was particularly impressed with Japanese prints. He loved the use of bold colors and decorative designs and therefore, loved to collect the same.

❥ The influence of the Japanese style was evident in his painting, 'The Bedroom at Arles'. Here, he painted his own room with flat areas of colors and used bold outlines.

❥ His heavy use of a palette of cool colors suggest that he may have been slightly colorblind.

❥ In the 10 years that he spent as an artist, he painted around 900 paintings.

The Red Vineyard (painting), depicted on a postage stamp

❥ He sold only one painting, The Red Vineyard, throughout his lifetime. After his death, his brother's wife dedicated herself to getting his work recognized.

❥ Many of the pigments that he used in his paintings, were unstable, and hence have deteriorated and changed color, over time.

❥ He loved painting his own impression, and may have painted over 30 self-portraits.

❥ His famous painting, 'Café Terrace at Night', is considered by art critics to be a modified version of the last supper, and hence a tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci.

❥ In 1889, van Gogh had to admit himself to a mental hospital, where he painted 'Starry Night', which is considered to be the artistic interpretation of the mathematical concept of turbulence.

❥ During an epileptic seizure, he attempted to attack his very good friend , Paul Ganguin (a famous French painter), with a razor. However, this only resulted in him cutting off a part of his own ear.

❥ At the age of 37, this artist suffered from heavy depression. This was the time when he shot himself with a revolver in a field; he died two days later at the age of 37.

❥ His brother, Theo, died six months after his death, and is buried next to him.

❥ His last words were "La tristesse durera toujours ", meaning "the sadness will last forever".

Vincent van Gogh's paintings provide inspiration to millions of artists around the world. These works stand testimony to the greatness and genius of this very talented artist.